*NOTE:There are minor changes to many of the exotic and results formats of the engine and the first line of standard racesheets from the Version 1 series of engines. Developers should pay particular attention to these formats to ensure continued compatibility, these are marked in RED. Also Version 2 engines no longer support DDE, if this is required, use version 1.0.17
The Captive Data's Bettordata Engine can deliver volumes of Australian wagering data instantly to custom applications. The DLL based API delivers data as ASCII blocks of comma delimited text ending with a line containing only a fullstop. All lines in API delivered ASCII data end in carriage return + line feed characters (CRLF).
This data is broken into 5 categories:
Meeting lists contain all of the basic information needed to identify meetings including code used to request data as well as each TABs designated display coding so that you may present codes that match each TAB's preferred system. The following is a couple of lines of a typical meeting display line in API format followed by spreadsheet format:
FLEMINGTON,R,9,20030315,MR,MEL R,MR,MR,MR,MR,12:25:00VNQ,13:05:00VNU,13:45:00VNU,14:25:00VNU,15:05:00VNU,15:45:00VNU,16:25:00VNU,17:05:00VNU,17:45:00VNU,,, GOLD COAST,R,8,20030315,3R,P2 R,CR,CR,QR,QR,13:00:00VNQ,13:40:00VNU,14:20:00VNU,15:00:00VNU,16:20:00VNU,17:00:00VNU,17:40:00VNU,18:15:00VNU,,,,The description of each cell of the data follows (in order):
| Item | Example | Description |
| Display name for this venue | ||
| R | Denotes the type of meeting, R=race, G=greyhound, T=trot | |
| 8 | can be from 0 to 12 races | |
| 20030315 | Date of the meet used to determine status | |
| 3R | Used to request information about this meet using the 'V' option | |
| Cosmetic only, matches state designated code | ||
| CR | Used to request information about this meet using the 'N' option | |
| CR | Cosmetic only, matches state designated code | |
| QR | Used to request information about this meet using the 'U' option | |
| QR | Cosmetic only, matches state designated code | |
| 13:00:00VNU | Race jump time plus a character for each TAB if updates on hand |
| Notes: | There are up to 12 race start cells and they will be blank until there are updates available for them and a jump time is known. |
| Jump times are in HH:MM:SS format. | |
| Request codes for each TAB can be blank or '--' if not yet known. | |
| All of the information on meets is subject to change and your program should request it often to keep an up to date list. | |
| All times are shown in NSW time as the system time is generated there. |
Race sheets are the generic way that this engine delivers all live race dividend data. Sheets cover each TAB for Win, Place, Quinella abstractions, Exacta abstractions and Trifecta abstractions. The "Abstractions" are a representation of the spread of money in exotic pools abstracted as a notional dividend amount.
If horse 2 has roughly 24% of the money in the pool bet on it and it is at $3.60 for the win, the abstraction mimics this by calculating a dividend the same way but based on the proportion of bets placed for the win part of each trifecta, the win part of each exacta and half the total amount bet on each quinella combination including runner number 2. As an example, the calculation may yield an abstracted trifecta approximate of $3.90 for runner 2. You can compare the two figures to look for runners that are paying overs or unders very simply. The abstracted figures take into account the TAB takeout estimated at 15% so that the comparison is valid.
Whilst Bettordata actually carries a breakdown of amounts wagered on each combination of the quinella and exacta pools and trend information for trifecta pools, this cannot be easily represented in a spreadsheet for instance as the number of permutations vary greatly with the field size making the use of it unwieldy in 2 dimensional spreadsheets.This is overcome using the abstraction method and also simplifies the task of tracking trends in the exotic pools. It is important to note that at the time of release, only TAB Limited of NSW publishes exotics information and therefore exotic abstraction racesheets are only available for NSW pools.
The following sample is the response from the engine to a request for the last 10 updates of Sydney race 1 on the 15th March for the TAB Limited win pool. It is shown first as the ASCII data returned by the API and then the table returned by the DDE server to a spreadsheet.
SR,WARWICK FARM,1,LIVERPOOL FESTIVAL 2YO HCP,20030315,1300,GOOD,OVRCST,CLOSED,12:05:29 10,9, , , ,12:05:00,12:05:38,12:05:32,12:05:02,12:04:32,12:04:02,12:03:32,12:03:02,12:02:32,12:02:02,12:01:32 1,N,CHAPAREJOS,R M QUINN,8,57.5,1.80,1.80,1.60,1.60,1.60,1.60,1.60,1.60,1.60,1.60 2,N,DIVINE PONYTAIL,B COOPER,5,56.0,35.00,35.00,36.80,34.80,33.20,31.50,30.50,31.00,30.80,30.60 3,N,RED ASPECT,D BEADMAN,6,55.5,7.20,7.20,6.50,6.10,6.00,5.80,5.60,5.50,5.50,5.40 4,N,DESERT RANSOM,J H BOWMAN,2,55.0,3.60,3.60,4.70,5.80,6.00,6.60,6.70,6.90,7.00,6.90 5,N,DEPUTY DEHERE,D BEASLEY,9,53.5,12.00,12.00,11.00,10.60,11.10,10.80,10.70,11.10,11.30,11.00 6,N,DESERT BOUQUET,R THOMPSON,7,53.0,52.00,52.00,47.20,45.90,44.30,42.50,41.10,40.50,39.80,38.60 7,N,GIMME SHELTER,C CARMODY,1,53.0,62.70,62.70,55.90,52.60,50.70,47.60,46.20,45.20,79.10,76.90 8,N,NANDUTI GRACE,D MCLELLAN,3,53.0,21.30,21.30,19.60,18.40,18.40,15.80,18.10,17.70,17.90,17.50 9,N,PARTY CAKE,B STANLEY,4,53.0,96.90,96.90,86.50,80.40,76.80,73.20,70.60,69.90,68.40,67.30 W, , , , , ,192764,192754,168675,154053,144476,133713,127491,123811,120568,116650 P, , , , , ,71344,71344,66373,63511,60651,59593,56862,55915,54959,54386 Q, , , , , ,28252,23506,23506,19349,19349,17147,17147,15711,15711,15711 E, , , , , ,8236,6803,6803,5480,5480,4778,4778,4398,4398,3692 T, , , , , ,65980,59061,56812,48275,48275,44677,44677,42085,42085,35564 .Breakdown of rows
Title Row - Race Identification
| SR | Race Code (as per your request) | |
| WARWICK FARM | Venue Name | |
| 1 | Race Number | |
| LIVERPOOL FESTIVAL 2YO HCP | Race Title | |
| 20030315 | Race Date | |
| 1300 | Race Distance | |
| GOOD | Track Condition | |
| OVRCST | Weather Conditions | |
| CLOSED | The race has jumped | New to Version 2 |
| 12:05:29 | The time that this race stopped selling (ie actual jump) | New to Version 2 |
Time Row - Start and Update Times
| 10 | Number of Updates Delivered |
| 9 | Number of Runners In The Race |
| , , , | 3 Blank Fields |
| 12:05:00 | Advertised Race Start Time (ARST) |
| 12:05:38 | Latest Update Time |
| 12:05:32 | 2nd Latest Update Time |
| ... | 7 more Update times |
| 12:01:32 | 10th Latest Update Time |
Runner Row
| 1 | Rug Number |
| N | Scratched ? (Y/N) |
| CHAPAREJOS | Runner Name |
| R M QUINN | Jockey/Trainer/Driver |
| 8 | Barrier Position |
| 57.5 | Weight (Handicap) In Kg |
| 1.80 | Latest Approximate Dividend (at 12:05:38) |
| 1.80 | 2nd Latest Approximate Dividend (at 12:05:32) |
| ... | 7 More Approximate Dividends (12:05:02 .. 12:02:02) |
| 1.60 | 10th Latest Approximate Dividend (at 12:01:32) |
Pool Row
| W | Pool Identifier (W=Win,P=Place,Q=Quinella,E=Exacta,T=Trifecta) |
| , , , , , | 5 Blank Fields |
| 192764 | Latest Pool Amount (at 12:05:38) |
| 192754 | 2nd Latest Pool Amount (at 12:05:32) |
| ... | 7 More Pool Amounts (12:05:02 .. 12:02:02) |
| 116650 | 10th Latest Pool Amount (at 12:01:32) |
Intervals
There are two possible timing options for updates,
actual or by interval. The example above shows actual update times but
if requested the system can normalise updates to fixed intervals so
that spread sheets can directly compare prices across pools and states
at common intervals.
This makes the task of determining the price of each horse at say 3
minutes out from the jump in all pools across all states a simple
proposition.
When intervals are requested, if no updates are received between two of
the intervals, the newer interval will contain the same prices and pool
sizes as the older interval.
To demonstrate, here is the same race as the one above but this time
requested as 10 standard intervals instead;
| 10 | 9 | 12:05:00 | 12:04:32 | 12:04:02 | 12:03:32 | 12:03:02 | 12:02:32 | 12:01:32 | 11:58:03 | 11:54:02 | 11:35:04 | 11:04:04 | |||
| 1 | N | CHAPAREJOS | R M QUINN | 8 | 57.5 | 1.60 | 1.60 | 1.60 | 1.60 | 1.60 | 1.60 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 |
Notice that the spread of updates now covers the last hour rather than only the last 4 minutes of the "actual" sample above. The standard intervals vary depending on the number of updates requested. A maximum of only 13 updates is possible if selected by interval. The table below shows the timing of the intervals based on the number of updates requested. Each time value is the number of seconds from the jump, so that a value below of 180 means 3 minutes (180 seconds) before the jump time, and a value of 0 is at the jump:
| Intervals3 | latest | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th |
| 3 | 60 | 300 | 1500 | ||||||||||
| 4 | 0 | 60 | 300 | 1500 | |||||||||
| 5 | 0 | 60 | 180 | 600 | 1500 | ||||||||
| 6 | 0 | 60 | 180 | 300 | 600 | 1500 | |||||||
| 7 | 0 | 60 | 120 | 180 | 300 | 600 | 1500 | ||||||
| 8 | 0 | 30 | 60 | 120 | 180 | 300 | 600 | 1500 | |||||
| 9 | 0 | 30 | 60 | 90 | 120 | 180 | 300 | 600 | 1500 | ||||
| 10 | 0 | 30 | 60 | 90 | 120 | 180 | 300 | 600 | 1500 | 3600 | |||
| 11 | 0 | 30 | 60 | 90 | 120 | 150 | 180 | 300 | 600 | 1500 | 3600 | ||
| 12 | 0 | 30 | 60 | 90 | 120 | 150 | 180 | 300 | 600 | 1500 | 2400 | 3600 | |
| 13 | 0 | 30 | 60 | 90 | 120 | 150 | 180 | 240 | 300 | 600 | 1500 | 2400 | 3600 |
| Notes: | You should process rows until one starts with 'W' instead of a number as first field. This denotes the start of the pool section. |
| Time fields are in HH:MM:SS format. | |
| You will notice the 2 most recent updates have identical prices however the exotic pool amounts had changed prompting the update to be retained. | |
| Some fields in the Time and Pool rows have values that are simply padding for alignment. | |
| The engine can store and deliver up to the 30 most recent updates in actual mode or 13 in interval mode. Interval mode values are generated from the actual updates, if a race is held for a prolonged period past the ARST some or all data relevant to the interval periods may be lost. |
The formats of both the quinella and exacta information are identical with the exception that exacta information is always more voluminous due to the larger number of permutations involved. The trifecta and first four information follows a different format suited to that information and the doubles and quadrella information follows a different format again suited to this multi-leg information.
Exotics are broken into 4 formats;
Please note there has been a significant change to Quinella and Exacta formats that developers should note. In previous versions, this format displayed values in the base betting units of the source TAB, in version 2.0 all values shown are in dollars to add consistency to formats. There is also the addition of a pool amount in line 2 which indicates the total of all bets in dollars held for this pool. In the case of Tab Limited this means the values for each permutation will be half the size as it is an expression of dollars instead of 50 cent units. The following sample is the response from the engine to a request for the exacta information about Ipswich race 7 on the 9th December 2004 for the TAB Limited pool. It is shown as the ASCII data returned by the API. Note that runners 1,5 & 7 were scratched and therefore all permutations involving these are supressed.
BR,IPSWICH,7,SCHWEPPES LEMONADE CL5 HCP,20041209,17:00:44,CLOSED 1786.00 2,3,214.50 2,4,159.50 2,6,19.00 2,8,14.50 2,9,54.00 3,2,175.00 3,4,139.50 3,6,22.00 3,8,26.50 3,9,149.00 4,2,129.00 4,3,232.00 4,6,23.50 4,8,19.50 4,9,75.50 6,2,11.50 6,3,10.00 6,4,8.50 6,8,7.50 6,9,9.50 8,2,9.50 8,3,5.00 8,4,5.50 8,6,4.00 8,9,6.50 9,2,46.50 9,3,143.00 9,4,52.00 9,6,7.50 9,8,7.00 .Breakdown of rows
Title Row - Race Identification
| BR | Race Code (as per your request) | |
| IPSWICH | Venue Name | |
| 7 | Race Number | |
| SCHWEPPES LEMONADE CL5 HCP | Race Title | |
| 20041209 | Race Date | |
| 17:00:44 | Time at which this update was received | New to version 2 |
| CLOSED | Race Selling Status | New to version 2 |
Pool Row
| 1786.00 | Total of the money held in dollars in this pool. | New to version 2 |
Quinella/Exacta Rows
| 2 | First Runner Number In Permutation | |
| 3 | Second Runner Number In Permutation | |
| 214.50 | Dollar amount held in the pool on this permutation | Changed in version 2 |
The following is an example of the same race showing the quinella permutations;
BR,IPSWICH,7,SCHWEPPES LEMONADE CL5 HCP,20041209,17:00:44,CLOSED 5096.00 2,3,1054.00 2,4,796.50 2,6,78.50 2,8,91.00 2,9,405.00 3,4,1290.50 3,6,150.00 3,8,133.50 3,9,503.00 4,6,105.50 4,8,63.50 4,9,278.00 6,8,35.50 6,9,53.00 8,9,58.50 .
| Notes: | In the case of exactas, there will obviously be twice as many permutations as quinellas. |
The following sample is the response from the engine to a request for the trifecta information about Ipswich race 7 on the 9th December 2004 for the TAB Limited pool. It is shown as the ASCII data returned by the API. Note that runners 1,5 & 7 were scratched and therefore all information involving these are zeroed.
BR,IPSWICH,7,SCHWEPPES LEMONADE CL5 HCP,20041209,17:00:44,CLOSED 13976.00 1,0,0,0 2,3169,3067,3024 3,4709,3414,2416 4,3216,3719,2695 5,0,0,0 6,493,1031,1801 7,0,0,0 8,394,768,1595 9,1993,1974,2442 .Breakdown of rows
Title Row - Race Identification
| BR | Race Code (as per your request) | |
| IPSWICH | Venue Name | |
| 7 | Race Number | |
| SCHWEPPES LEMONADE CL5 HCP | Race Title | |
| 20041209 | Race Date | |
| 17:00:44 | Time at which this update was received | New to version 2 |
| CLOSED | Race Selling Status | New to version 2 |
Pool Row
13976.00 Total of the money held in dollars in this pool. New to version 2
Trifecta Rows (example uses 4th row)
| 3 | Runner Number |
| 4709 | Amount held for permutations with this runner running first |
| 3414 | Amount held for permutations with this runner running second |
| 2416 | Amount held for permutations with this runner running third |
| Notes: | Typically tallying each of the columns should yield approximately the same tally. |
| First Fours (New to version 2) are identical to Trifectas except there would be one more value at the end of each line for the fourth total. |
The following sample is the response from the engine to a request for the Quadrella information about Balaklava race 8 on the 16th May 2007 for the TAB Limited pool. It is shown as the ASCII data returned by the API. Note that all permutaions have the same first 3 runners (4,6,6). This is because this information is available on the race that is the last leg only once all previous legs have been decided, in this case runner #4 won the first leg,#6 the second and #6 the third.
AR,BALAKLAVA,8,BUTLERS VIEW / SABIS MAIDEN PLAT,20070516,16:49:22,CLOSED 11828.00,5,4,6,2,7,2,8,11 4,6,6,1,18924.80 4,6,6,2,504.80 4,6,6,3,6300.40 4,6,6,4,1398.80 4,6,6,5,6201.70 4,6,6,6,1360.40 4,6,6,7,620.40 4,6,6,8,5450.70 4,6,6,9,18924.80 4,6,6,10,6154.50 4,6,6,11,504.80 4,6,6,12,2388.60 4,6,6,13,756.10 .Breakdown of rows
Title Row - Race Identification
| AR | Race Code (as per your request) | |
| BALAKLAVA | Venue Name | |
| 8 | Race Number | |
| BUTLERS VIEW / SABIS MAIDEN PLAT | Race Title | |
| 20070516 | Race Date | |
| 16:49:22 | Time at which this update was received | New to version 2 |
| CLOSED | Race Selling Status | New to version 2 |
Pool size, leg and substitute information
| 11828.00 | Pool size when this update was sampled |
| 5 | Race number for first leg, ie race 5 was the first leg of the Quadrella |
| 4 | Scratching substitute for first leg of the Quadrella (see notes) |
| 6 | Race number for first leg, ie race 6 was the second leg of the Quadrella |
| 2 | Scratching substitute for second leg of the Quadrella (see notes) |
| 7 | Race number for first leg, ie race 7 was the third leg of the Quadrella |
| 2 | Scratching substitute for third leg of the Quadrella (see notes) |
| 8 | Race number for first leg, ie race 8 was the forth leg of the Quadrella |
| 11 | Scratching substitute for forth leg of the Quadrella (see notes) |
Quadrella Rows (example uses 4th row)
| 4 | Winning runner number for first leg |
| 6 | Winning runner number for second leg |
| 6 | Winning runner number for third leg |
| 4 | Wagered runner for the final leg |
| 1398.80 | Approximate dividend if this permutation won (ie if #4 comes home in the last leg) |
| Notes: | Running Doubles and Daily Doubles are handled identically except there are only 2 legs and 2 substitutes instead of 4. |
| Substitutes are used where a runner you have bet on for one leg is scratched. In this case the bet is not cancelled, the jumptime favourite is substituted for your pick and the substitue value is the rug number for the horse your bet would now be on if your leg runner was scratched. Check TAB products thoroughly to ensure this is how substitues still work at time of reading and for full details on substitutions. |
The following sample is the response from the engine to a request for the Quadrella Trend information about Balaklava race 8 on the 16th May 2007 for the TAB Limited pool. It is shown as the ASCII data returned by the API.
AR,BALAKLAVA,8,BUTLERS VIEW / SABIS MAIDEN PLAT,20070516,16:09:02,CLOSED 5445.00 R5,9 1,1051.00 2,613.00 3,636.00 4,1434.00 5,227.00 6,400.00 7,387.00 8,125.00 9,268.00 R6,9 1,648.00 2,1250.00 3,97.00 4,465.00 5,795.00 6,624.00 7,429.00 8,864.00 9,41.00 R7,11 1,564.00 2,1441.00 3,455.00 4,836.00 5,106.00 6,762.00 7,783.00 8,264.00 9,25.00 10,85.00 11,10.00 R8,13 1,102.00 2,0.00 3,170.00 4,443.00 5,71.00 6,426.00 7,1157.00 8,115.00 9,58.00 10,142.00 11,1373.00 12,285.00 13,838.00 .Breakdown of rows
Title Row - Race Identification
| AR | Race Code (as per your request) |
| BALAKLAVA | Venue Name |
| 8 | Race Number |
| BUTLERS VIEW / SABIS MAIDEN PLAT | Race Title |
| 20070516 | Race Date |
| 16:09:02 | Time at which this update was received |
| CLOSED | Race Selling Status |
Pool size Row
| 5445.00 | Pool size in dollars when this update was sampled |
Race Row
| R5 | Signifies the race number for the leg following |
| 9 | Number of runners in this leg (ie this many rows follow until the start of the next leg) |
Quadrella Trend Rows (example uses 4th row)
| 4 | TAB number of the runner |
| 1434.00 | Amount in dollars wagered on permutations containing this runner for this leg |
The APN official bookies prices are live prices direct from the on-course betting ring. Bookies prices are not available for all meetings and races as for a market to form there has to be enough bookmakers standing in the ring to form an official market. As a result bookies prices are generally available on the metro tracks but can include provincials and country tracks in some cases.
The data available on bookies prices are presented as a single clear text racesheet with every price change for every runner in the race inclued. Each update includes an indicator to show how significant that change was, the number of seconds after the opening of the market it ocurred and the decimal assessed price for that runner at that time. Each runner line is preceded by the runner's name, scratching status, and information abot the current price and top fluctuation before including every price change for the runner.
The on-course bookies market has long been considered the most informative market for punters to watch, be it to use the assessed prices to derive a rating indicative of the runners chance of winning or as an indicator of what odds are likely to be available via Australias leading bookmakers. Over 95% of bookmaker bets are negotiated at the APN price plus or minus a roll, we beleive it is simply the best overall indicator of the true assessed prices of a race.
Realeased on beta - 20081208 in Version 2.1.2 of the Captive Data Engine available on request to support@subscriptiondata.com
SR,WYONG,6,MAGIC MILLIONS 3YO CLASSIC STK,20081207,15:57:48,OPEN 20081207:155438,10,157.00/141.00,C,W,190 1,DANCE AT MIDNIGHT,N,8.00,8.00,O|0|7.00,+|48|7.50,+|52|8.00,U|72|8.00 2,DICTATORSHIP,N,4.60,4.60,O|0|4.40,+|88|4.60,U|190|4.60 3,GENERAL SNIPPETS,N,17.00,17.00,O|0|15.00,>|25|17.00,U|48|17.00 4,JEALOUS GUY,N,5.00,5.00,O|0|5.00,U|6|5.00 5,SWARM,N,5.50,5.50,O|0|5.00,+|95|5.50,U|190|5.50 6,YOUNG ROSSA,Y,-2.00,-2.00,X|0|-2.00 7,BELLE SOLEIL,N,3.70,3.70,O|0|3.50,>|190|3.70 8,FASHION STATEMENT,Y,-2.00,-2.00,X|0|-2.00 9,RARE DIAMOND,N,14.00,14.00,O|0|11.00,>|25|14.00,U|48|14.00 10,WE'RE LUCKY,N,3.50,3.50,O|0|2.80,>|6|3.00,>|72|3.50,U|190|3.50 .Breakdown of rows
Title Row - Race Identification
| Sample: SR,WYONG,6,MAGIC MILLIONS 3YO CLASSIC STK,20081207,15:57:48,OPEN | |
| SR | Race Code (as per your request) |
| WYONG | Venue Name |
| 6 | Race Number |
| MAGIC MILLIONS 3YO CLASSIC STK | Race Title |
| 20081207 | Race Date |
| 15:57:48 | Time the race closed if closed or time this update received if open |
| OPEN | Race Selling Status OPEN/CLOSED/ABANDONED |
Market Information Row
| Sample: 20081207:155438,10,157.00/141.00,C,W,190 | |
| 20081207:155438 | Date & Time that the market on this race opened. |
| 10 | Count of runners in this race. |
| 157.00 | The market percentage at the race open. |
| 141.00 | The market percentage now or at the close if closed. |
| C | Type of last update, O=Open, C=Change, R=Racing, F=Final. |
| W | Pool type W=Win, P=Place. |
| 190 | Number of seconds passed between the market open and this update's issue. |
Runner Rows
| Sample: 1,DANCE AT MIDNIGHT,N,8.00,8.00,O|0|7.00,+|48|7.50,+|52|8.00,U|72|8.00 | ||
| 1 | Runner's rug number | |
| DANCE AT MIDNIGHT | Runner's name | |
| N | Scratching status, N=Not scratched, Y=scratched | |
| 8.00 (the first) | Starting price (or current price if before close) | |
| 8.00 (the second) | Top Fluctuation | |
| Update triplets | ||
| O|0|7.00 | Each update to the runner's price included is a triplet of data (3 parts) seperated by a pipe character comprising a movement indicator, a time offset from market open and a decimal price. | |
| O (triplet component) | movement indicator (see table below) | |
| 0 | Seconds from market open (zero as this was the at open update) | |
| 7.00 | Decimal price for this runner at this update ($7.00) | |
| Movement indicators show how significant the change was in terms of rolls of the bookie's price board. | |
| O | Opening Market for this runner |
| - | Price dropped 1 roll (firmed in) |
| < | Price dropped 2 rolls or more (shortened in) |
| + | Price increased 1 roll (drifted out) |
| > | Price increased 2 rolls or more (blew out) |
| U | Odds were unchanged (supported) |
| L | Late scratching |
| X | Scratched |
Special values
| Special values found in price fields. | |
| -1.00 | Unknown price |
| -2.00 | Runner Scratched |
| -3.00 | Late Scratching |
| -4.00 | Error/Price out of range |
| Notes: | The bookies market generally opens around 20-25 minutes before ARST for each race and never less than 5 minutes after the previous race. |
| The prices are manually entered by price assessors on course monitoing the market and following close rules and guidance from racing stewards for propriety. | |
| The monitoring and assessment rules ensure integrity of the information by ensuring that a critical mass of bookmakers must be supporting a price before its considered the status of the official market. | |
| Races can be scheduled for assessment but insufficient bookmaker coverage is present when due to open. When this happens the generation of an official market falls outside guidelines and there will be no market forthcoming. This can happen without warning but is generally only on smaller meetings with sparse bookmaker coverage. |
Results can be a complicated dataset to program for because there are various anomalies that can occur. This makes results pretty hard to process in a spread sheet beyond basically displaying them as presented by this engine. Programming languages would generally have enough flexibility available to be able to code for all possibilities. There are 38 base codes used by the engine to tag what each entry of a result set is. The order below is also the order in which results will appear in the result sheet reading top to bottom, then columns left to right. Each of these may also have a jackpot code which is the same as the base code but with a 'J' appended (ie the jackpot code for Quadrella is QDJ). Jackpots will appear at the end of the sheet if they exist anc contain only the dollar value that is jackpotted. These codes are:
| Code | Code | Code | Code | ||||
| -- | Unknown Type | F1 | Feature Double Race 1 | RD | Running Double | Q1 | Quadrella Leg 1 |
| WN | Win | F2 | Feature Double Race 2 | R1 | Running Double Race 1 | Q2 | Quadrella Leg 2 |
| PL | Place | ND | Next Double | R2 | Running Double Race 2 | Q3 | Quadrella Leg 3 |
| QN | Quinella | N1 | Next Double Race 1 | QX | Quad Xtra | Q4 | Quadrella Leg 4 |
| QD | Quadrella | N2 | Next Double Race 2 | AU | All Up | DU | Duet/Any2 |
| TF | Trifecta | XD | Xtra Double | FC | Forecast | ||
| EX | Exacta | X1 | Xtra Double Race 1 | TJ | Trifecta Jackpot | ||
| DD | Daily Double | X2 | Xtra Double Race 2 | SF | Superfecta | ||
| D1 | Daily Double Race 1 | SD | Special Double | TR | Treble | ||
| D2 | Daily Double Race 2 | S1 | Special Double Race 1 | FF | First Four | ||
| FD | Feature Double | S2 | Special Double Race 2 | SP | Spinner |
Special Values
There are some special values used in both the runner and dividend fields of results.
When a special runner number is used , the meaning substitutes the runner in this position of the result.
The following table lists these values and their meanings:
| Type | Value | Meaning | |
| Runner | 253 | Any Result | Any Fielded TAB number |
| Runner | 254 | Any Result | Any TAB number |
| Runner | 255 | Any Result | Any scratched TAB number |
| Runner | 199>value<253 | Any Result | Error condition, result should be ignored |
| Dividend | 655.30 | Win/Place Result | Payout value is > $655.29 |
| Dividend | 655.33 | Win/Place Result | Dividend on hold |
| Dividend | 655.34 | Win/Place Result | No third dividend for this event |
| Dividend | 655.35 | Win/Place Result | No place pool for this event |
| Dividend | 0.00 | Any Result | No dividend for this pool on this event |
Example: "FF,7,9,1,253,203.00,P" implies there was no winning bet so the TAB is paying the field for the 4th runner, so everyone who picked the first 3 runners correctly will be paid $203.00 regardless of what they pick for 4th place.
Note: Some multi-race results (ie Quadrella) may use a substitute (typically the favourite at jump) on occasions where a runner is scratched. The substitues field can be found at the top of the approximates page for these events, please read the Raw Exotics section carefully and the TABs terms and conditions for payment on each betting product.
A typical result would appear like this:
BR,EAGLE FARM,9,HAMILTON BOWLS CLUB C G E,20070516,PAYING WN,1,DANCE HUNTER,13.50,3.40,P PL,6,MUSCLE UP,0.00,2.20,P PL,7,BORSHA'S WARRIOR,0.00,1.60,I QN,1,6,35.40,P QD,5,1,3,1,793.50,P TF,1,6,7,252.00,I EX,1,6,88.80,P DD,1,1,33.00,P RD,3,1,51.80,P FF,1,6,7,5,2839.70,I .
Note that at the end of each line is a paying 'P' or interim 'I' status for each line of the result. It is quite possible for part of the result to be paying and part interim until all paying is issued.
Note: The result above should be interpreted as #1 won paying $13.50 for the win and $3.40 for the place,
#6 came a place paying $2.20,
#7 is under protest but should pay $1.60 unless upheld
While typically the place getters will be shown in the correct order, the 2 place getters should be explicitly determined by the trifecta result order once it is paying.
The Quinella was #1 & #6 paying $35.40,
The Quadrella was #5,#1,#3 & #1 paying $793.50,
the Trifecta #1,#6 & #7 and should pay $252.00 when paying,
the Exacta #1 & #6 paid $88.80
the Daily Double #1 & #1 paid $33.00
the Running Double #3 & #1 paid $51.80
and the First Four #1,#6,#7 & #5 should pay $2,839.70 when paying.
The following group of tables show the result layout you can expect when an atypical result occurs like dead heats for first, second or third, no third dividend and no place paid. In some cases all three states are shown to illustrated differences in the handling of results between states. The inclusion or exclusion of lines which have no actual result are included at the TABs option and may be subject to policy change. Never hard code to expect a fixed number of entries of any result line.
Dead heat for first
| TABCORP | TABLIMITED | UniTAB |
| Note: 2 Win entries | ||
Dead heat for second
| TABCORP | TABLIMITED | UniTAB |
| AR,BALAKLAVA,7,REDBANK MAIDEN PLATE,20030326,PAYING | AR,BALAKLAVA,7,REDBANK MAIDEN PLATE,20030326,PAYING | AR,BALAKLAVA,7,REDBANK MAIDEN PLATE,20030326,PAYING |
| Note: 2 Quinella entries | ||
Dead heat for third
| TABCORP | TABLIMITED | UniTAB |
| Note: 3 Place entries | ||
No Third Dividend
| TABCORP | TABLIMITED | UniTAB |
| Note: TABCORP does not supply third runner name when N.T.D. Whilst we could have, we have decided not to omit it in others to allow complete runner names in result. | ||
No Place Paid
| TABCORP | TABLIMITED | UniTAB |
| Note: All place dividends from all TABs are 0.00. | ||
The current time data item is included to allow programs to calculate time to jump. Note: All times are in NSW time and are therefore affected by daylight savings. The engine handles changes in daylight savings automatically but if you are developing a product based on the data you may wish to develop a method of translating all times to the user's local time. The time output for the API follows:
14:23:17 .
This information identifies unique attributes of a subscription and also the remaining time on the subscription before it lapses. It is intended that third party applications can determine a unique identifier for each user (ie the unique decoder ID or the unique internet username) so that software can be licensed on a per-user basis.
Currently the format describes decoder based and internet delivered subscriptions but allows for future changes in delivery by the information being preceded by a different 'type' parameter.
If type is set to 0, the engine has not been able to determine the
decoder information yet or the internet account is awaiting a
connection or expired and should be asked again in a few seconds.
For type 1 (decoder delivery) the format of the information returned is "OK ID type,internal_id,valid,days_left".
For type 2 (internet delivery) the format of the information returned is "OK ID type,username,valid,days_left".
As new delivery methods are added they will utilise new types as required and in this case it is possible that the format of information following the type is slightly different.
A valid decoder token which is valid for the rest of this day and another 85 is shown below;
OK ID 1,00110285,1,85.468 .A response in the case of an expired decoder token is shown below;
OK ID 1,00110285,0,0.00 .A response in the case of having no decoder device or other delivery device installed is shown below;
OK ID 1,NODECODE,0,0.000 .A response in the case of being called before the engine can determine the information or if an internet account is in use but is in the process of connecting or has expired is shown below;
OK ID 0 . A valid internet account where the username is 104 and which is valid for another 18.774 days from the time of establishment of the connection;OK ID 2,104,1,18.774 .